San Francisco Comic Book

San Francisco Comic Book
Cover of San Francisco Comic Book #1 (San Francisco Comic Book Company, 1970). Art by Rory Hayes.
Publication information
Publisher	San Francisco Comic Book Company Print Mint Last Gasp
Schedule	Irregular
Format	standard
Genre	Underground
Publication date	Jan. 1970 – March 1983
Number of issues	7
Creative team
Artist(s)	Joel Beck, Roger Brand, Joel Burnham, Robert Crumb, Kim Deitch, Melinda Gebbie, Justin Green, Rick Griffin, Bill Griffith, Rory Hayes, Greg Irons, Mervinius, Willy Murphy, Dan O'Neill, Jim Osborne, Larry Rippee, Trina Robbins, Barry Siegel & Bruce Simon, Spain Rodriguez, Larry Welz, Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson
Creator(s)	Gary Arlington & Don Donahue
Editor(s)	Gary Arlington

San Francisco Comic Book was an underground comix anthology published between 1970 and 1983. Conceived of and edited by Gary Arlington, the anthology highlighted the work of many of San Francisco's top underground talents, including Bill Griffith, Robert Crumb, Kim Deitch, Justin Green, Rory Hayes, Willy Murphy, Jim Osborne, Trina Robbins, and Spain Rodriguez.

San Francisco Comic Book was the brainchild of Gary Arlington, but over the years the shaky finances of San Francisco Comic Book Company required him to enlist the help of fellow Bay Area publishers Print Mint and Last Gasp in getting the book printed.

The first issue of San Francisco Comic Book was published by editor Arlington's own San Francisco Comic Book Company. Issues #2 and #3 were published by the Print Mint "for the San Francisco Comic Book Company." Issue #4 was published by the Print Mint.

After a seven-year hiatus, issue #5 was co-published by the Print Mint and Last Gasp (although it was still copyrighted by the San Francisco Comic Book Company). Issue #6 was "produced" by the San Francisco Comic Book Company and published by Last Gasp. Issue #7 was published by Last Gasp.

Gary Arlington operated the San Francisco Comic Book Company as a retailer and soon enough a publisher. By late 1969, his store was a nexus for local underground talent, and San Francisco was well on its way to becoming a Mecca for underground cartoonists from all over the country. Arlington determined to publish an anthology showcasing the work of the local underground cartooning community, and thus was born San Francisco Comic Book.